Carolina Newsmakers

Carolina Newsmakers, hosted by Don Curtis, is a weekly public affairs program featuring stories that affect our day-to-day lives – from the local economy to crime to social programs to taxes and education.  Mr. Curtis provides a platform for influential people to tell their stories in their own words.

After graduating from Bessemer City High School, Curtis enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Active in student government, Curtis twice served as President of the Summer School Student Body.

 In 1967, his company obtained a Construction Permit to build his first radio station, WCSL in Cherryville, North Carolina.  From this 500 watt Day Time AM, his group continued to group buying stations in other North Carolina towns including Laurinburg, Thomasville, Tabor City, Goldsboro, Burlington, Mebane, Morehead City, And Tarboro; each time, buying bigger operations.  In 1991, he purchased WPTF and WQDR.  These two market leading stations have been the basis for one of the best clusters of any of the top fifty markets in the United States in Raleigh-Durham North Carolina.

Curtis himself has been very active in civic and community affairs including service on the boards of Peace College, St. Andrews College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, UNC-TV Board of Trustees, The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Board of Visitors, The Food Bank of North Carolina, the Lineberger Cancer Center Board of Visitors, The Methodist Children’s Home Board, The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Board, and the Tammy Lynn Center Board, and the North Carolina Community Foundation. 

Curtis serves as President of the Curtis Foundation, and the Raleigh Board of Wells Fargo Bank.

Active in the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, he has served for more than thirty years as a Director. During this time, he served eight years as Secretary-treasurer, and one year as President.  He received the Distinguished Service Award in 1992, and was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2015, Curtis was recognized by the Broadcasters Foundation of America with the Ward L. Quaal Leadership Award presented at the National Association of Broadcasters convention.  The leadership award recognizes radio and television broadcast excellence.